The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.

- H. L. Mencken

Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so

-Bertrand Russell

What I have been telling you, from alpha to omega, what is the one great thing the sigil taught me — that everything in life is miraculous. For the sigil taught me that it rests within the power of each of us to awaken at will from a dragging nightmare of life made up of unimportant tasks and tedious useless little habits, to see life as it really is, and to rejoice in its exquisite wonderfulness. If the sigil were proved to be the top of a tomato-can, it would not alter that big fact, nor my fixed faith. No Harrowby, the common names we call things by do not matter — except to show how very dull we are ...

You should go to both, OYR tonight and Carolann's CD release at First Acoustics on Thursday. Buy your tickets now. I love doing this stuff. I have no artistic or musical talent, so I like doing things that let me fake the first and promote the second. Speaking of talent, the photo of Carolann is by Bri Dougherty, if you need a photographer, in the NYC/NJ area, you'll like what you see when your photo's by Bri. I also like coming up with slogans. How am I not a zillionaire?

I've been watching the Olympics. My tastes are not the same as the general public's. I took a poll on which event group I'm most excited about and I said Short Track Speed Skating. That was the least popular choice, the most popular by a wide margin is Figure Skating which I have no interest in. My favorite event is Snowboard Cross. It's like motocross on snowboards. It's an actual race, not a timed event like downhill skiing. A group of boarders race down a rough narrow path at the same time. You've never even heard of it and it's the most exciting Olympic event, maybe summer and winter. Last Olympiad the network broadcast figure skating practice, yes PRACTICE! live while relegating snowboard cross finals to highlights. I never let these things go. I'm still mad.

I need an app that will record my thoughts and play them back when I need them. That would make blogging so much easier.

Last night I was falling asleep watching TV on my computer. Instead of pushing myself to stay awake I wanted to go to sleep as soon as the episode of Constantine I was watching was over. So, what happened? I was so sleeping that I couldn't get myself to get up off the couch. I closed my eyes and fell asleep a few times. I finally forced myself to get up and go to bed. Did I fall asleep instantly? Of course not. It never works that way. I stumbled into bed and my mind started racing. This wasn't anxiety, this wasn't depression, it was things I enjoyed thinking about, but I couldn't stop. This is how I started most of my nights most of life. Now I can break out of it through meditation. Meditation is right up there with Breathe Right Strips in making my life and sleep better. It's the Swiss army knife of Jedi Mind Tricks.

The last thing I was thinking about before meditation was that Rob Hinkal and Mark Allen Berube wrote my favorite love songs. Remember my taste in Olympic sports? Just keep that in mind.

What makes those songs great? If you didn't know English, you would never know they are love songs. Paul McCartney was right, people have not had enough of silly love songs; they've had enough of love songs that aren't silly. I had to turn the Wings song off, I had enough of it. I listened to the ones by Rob and Mark repeatedly now to find best version. Guys, you both need to get a definitive video. I had to use one I took for Mark. Rob, the one with the best video and sound quality didn't have Heather or the back story. The world must do a better job of catering to my taste. I must do a better job of staying on topic. Those two songs are clever, have a beat, have swing, are funny, and yet are completely sincere. They express love the way the songwriters feel it, not the way the world thinks they should. That's how you write a good song, not just a good love song. Carolann and Kristen, how'd you get so lucky? That's the names of their wives, in the opposite order I've been giving the husbands. Why? My Gentle Readers are up to the challenge and I don't want to write the way the world expects me to.

Where did the afternoon go? I don't have time to watch Legends of Tomorrow before I go out. I'll have to watch when I get home. I have a busy week coming up. Next week all I have is a lunchtime concert by I'm With Her. Who wants to see me next week?

I just realized that tomorrow is Valentine's Day. If you have to write a song by tomorrow follow this advice.